The biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer is their attitude toward rewriting. . . . Unwillingness to revise usually signals an amateur.

In our not-yet-acknowledged secret garden lie the seeds of some of our best not-yet-written stories

The expert magician seeks to deceive the mind, rather than the eye.

Our instinct as human beings is to provide answers, to ease tension. As writers our job is the opposite, to create tension and not dispel it immediately.

A lawyer's job is to manipulate the skeletons in other people's closets.

A reader's emotions can be sparked with few words. That's the power of dialogue.

To create tension, dialogue needs to be stretched out. That is, characters should not be immediately responsive.

Dialogue is a lean language in which every word counts.

A writer writes what other people only think.

Dialogue, contrary to popular view, is not a recording of actual speech; it is a semblance of speech, an invented language of exchanges that build in tempo or content toward climaxes.

Most of the time, tough, combative, adversarial dialogue is much more exciting than physical action.

In these last days, what the world really needs is courageous parenting from mothers and fathers who are not afraid to speak up and take a stand.

The essence of fascism is to make laws forbidding everything and then enforce them selectively against your enemies.

The weakest among us has a gift however seemingly trivial which is peculiar to him and which worthily used will be a gift also to his race.

If you want to fight a war on drugs, sit down at your own kitchen table and talk to your own children.

I have very eclectic tastes.

Everyone is so addicted to their damn phone. It's sad to see the filmmaker's work diminished down to a computer screen.

In terms of the emotional underpinning, if you've been in relationships, you understand what's happening.

When my youngest daughter got married, I designed her wedding dress and I really let my imagination and energy go crazy! All the journalists seemed to love that dress.

If you’re looking for the full deal, the till-death deal, then look at me. No one’s ever going to love you, stick by you, understand how you work the way I do. (Malcolm Kavanaugh)

All the new people you meet, it's pretty amazing. The vampire needs new blood. And there is still a lot to learn and there is always great stuff out there. Even mistakes can be wonderful.